3 Simple, Not Easy, Ways to Loose Weight

Times have changed, ‘calories in; calories out’ is not the only way to drop a few pounds.

For years we’ve been searching for the perfect summer body, always being disappointed when we didn’t loose enough weight, or we didn’t see the muscle definition we’d hoped for. I hear it all the time, “How can I get rid of this excess under my arms, or around my thighs, or around my belly?” There is a multi-billion dollar industry dedicated to helping us loose weight. Some of those diets, exercise regimens, and trinkets may work, but you don’t have to go through the trouble. Thankfully, there are some tried and true, simple ways to make that happen in a safe healthy way.

I’m not going to sell you any kind of supplement or force you to buy any weird apparatus. My methods are simple. They might not always be easy, but they are simple. For the most part, they take one critical ingredient, self-discipline. We need the discipline to say ‘no’ when appropriate and ‘yes’ when appropriate. I’m going to give you a hint on when to do which.

Exercise at Least 4 Times Every Week

It’s a simple plan and actually not that difficult. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends healthy adults should exercise 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week. They also recommend some strength training twice each week. So you could do a vinyasa yoga class (that’s strength training and a shameless plug for 5 point yoga); Soul Cycle (45mins aerobic); Crossfit (20-45mins aerobic and strength training); or run, hike, ride your bike, swim, do push-ups, crunches, etc. You get the idea. 4 days always beats 3 days. As you begin to get into a regular routine, you’ll start feeling better, and hopefully eating better, thus those last few pounds will drop away naturally.

Less Sugar, Less Processed Foods & More Whole Foods

This one is all about your food. There is an old adage, ‘You cannot exercise away a bad diet.’ There are those who exercise much more than the recommended amount and still cannot loose weight because of what they’re putting in their system. You must make the decision to stop eating and drinking as much sugar. The stats are astounding. Two hundred years ago Americans ate about 2lbs of sugar per year; in 1970 we ate about 123lbs per year; now it’s up to 152lbs of sugar per person per year, on average. That means we’re eating 3 pounds, or 6 cups, per week! Sugar is everywhere and in just about everything we eat from ketchup, to bread, to milk. But if you start eating more whole foods and less processed foods you will naturally have less sugar and drop those pounds.

You can roast vegetables and make a warm vegetable salad. You can have a raw salad, you can experiment with something you haven’t tried before, but make it real food not something from a box, a bag, or a can. If you buy something from the grocery store, see if you can make it something that has 4 ingredients or less. Another technique is making sure you can pronounce all the ingredients. That’s always a fun one.

Time Restricted Eating (TRE)

This is the topic I’m most fascinated with because I’m reading so many incredible studies about the benefits of giving your intake system, drinking or eating, a break for at least 12-16 hours each day. The recommendation is, once again, simple, but not easy. Keep all your caloric intake, including your morning coffee and your evening glass of wine or chocolate, to 8-12 hours. For instance, if you finish dinner at 8pm, don’t take in anything but water until after 8am, but better results will happen if you wait until 10am or even noon, though that can be difficult.

I go back to a scientific study that separated two groups of mice, both were given the same high-fat, high-sugar foods to eat. One group was given access to the food 24 hours, 7 days a week, while the other group was only given access to the food for 8 hours each day. The group that noshed all day long developed obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and other complications. You’re going to start seeing more and more studies about TRE or intermittent fasting. It really works.

Start by going 2 weeks for 12 hours. If you feel positive changes, which I bet you will, move to eating in an 11hr period, then see if you can move to 10. Not only will you shed those pounds you’ve been trying to, but you’re energy will increase along with your sleep. You’ll begin to feel better and have all the energy you need to live a full happy life at your optimal weight! Good luck and let me know if you need some help along your journey.

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Ted McDonald is a yoga teacher, fitness trainer, endurance athlete, entrepreneur, avid traveler and philanthropist. A former Elite Adventure Racer and a Lacrosse player at UCLA, he has been an athlete his entire life. He began teaching yoga and meditation over a decade ago and continues to compete in marathons and triathlons. Educated in both Iyengar and Ashtanga styles of yoga, he focuses his yoga sessions on strength, alignment and the breath, in order to help students increase their flexibility, strength and focus. He teaches many forms of meditation and a yin or restorative yoga class specifically designed to lengthen connective tissue, prevent injuries and open energetic pathways in the body. He is the founder of Adventure Yoga Retreats, a company that organizes premium travel adventures that enrich lives and inspire people to perform at their highest level. His versatility and knowledge allows him to successfully tailor his teaching and retreats to a diverse audience, including athletes, business professionals, yoga teachers, as well as beginning students. He owns 5 Point Yoga, two premiere yoga and fitness studios in Malibu, California. Ted co-created and is featured in Tony Horton’s p90x:2 yoga sequence as well as Tony’s yoga “expert” for his one-on-one video series. He is a long time lululemon ambassador and is the designated yoga teacher for the Tour de France winning professional cycling BMC Racing Team. And most recently Ted’s Yoga bootcamp video series for ExerciseTV was released with great success.

Start here...

Enter your email and you'll automatically receive the meditation videos. Thank you for being here. We'll keep you up to date with our latest adventures, knowledge, and cool stuff to help us all transform our lives!

Success! One more step to get started with your meditation transformation! Check your email to confirm your subscription and the videos will begin immediately! Thank you so much for giving meditation a shot. I've had so many profound experiences and I hope you find the same to be true. I'm always here to help, so feel free to send me a note. Peace, Ted.

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